Mt. Lebanon High School National Honor Society collects books for prisoners
In the age of the tablet and e-book, the traditional manner of reading might seem to be a bit outdated.
But consider this inmate’s letter to the nonprofit organization Book ‘Em:
“Thank you for your important help. This is the 17th year I’ve been at the penitentiary. Were it not for books, I’m pretty sure I’d be hopelessly insane or dead.”
Pittsburgh-based Book ‘Em sends reading and educational volumes to prisoners throughout Pennsylvania, and thanks to the Mt. Lebanon High School National Honor Society, more materials are on their way.
“Our project truly was a group effort, with many NHS members pitching in, senior Marie Erickson, a member of the society’s executive council, said about a February drive that resulted in the collection of 206 dictionaries and other reference works.
“I’ve been interested in criminal justice and the criminal justice system for a couple of years, and I found the Book ‘Em website online,” she said. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to give back. It’s such a different organization. Especially here in Mt. Lebanon, we wouldn’t think of an organization like that.”
Book ‘Em serves about 160 prisoners each month.
“They list the books that they need the most, and dictionaries are the most commonly requested book,” Marie explained. “They often cannot fill all of the requests.”
The National Honor Society’s drive took place primarily at the high school, with plenty of students bringing in books.
“A couple of students got monetary donations from different organizations, and I picked up a ton of dictionaries from local thrift stores,” Marie said.
Teachers and PTA members also made contributions, and the Book Cellar at Mt. Lebanon Public Library and Marie’s church, St. Thomas More in Bethel Park, served as further collection sites.
According to the Book ‘Em website, the organization receives more than 300 requests per month, but because of lack of funds for mailing, some of the requests cannot be filled. Nevertheless, Book ‘Em has served about 33,000 prisoners since its founding in 2000.
For more information, visit www.bookempgh.org.